Machine for aligning the flanges of traylike articles



G. W. CASE AND J. W. ROBERTS. MACHINE FOR ALIGNING THE FLANGES 0F TRAY LIKE ARTICLES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 18. 1920. mmaw. PatentedAug- 1, 1922.

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a. w. CASE AND Lw. ROBERTS. MACHINE FOR ALIGNING THE FLANGES 0F TRAY LIKE ARTICLES.

APPL'ICATION HLED FEB. 18. 1920. v7 1,424,Q@. Patented g- 1, 1922.

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GEORGE W. CASE AND JOHN WM. ROBERTS, OF PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY.

IVIAGHINE FOR ALIG-NING THE FLANGES 0F TRAYLIKE ARTICLES,

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. i, 1922.

Application filed February 18, 1920. Serial No. 359,614.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. CASE and JOHN W. Rosnrrrs, citizens of the United States, and residents of Passaic, county of Passaic, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Aligning the F langes of Traylike Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved machine for aligning the flanges of flanged tray-like articles so as to make such flanges straight for their entire length, and in the case of rectangular flanged articles to have the flanges on opposite edges parallel for their full length and height.

This invention is particlularly designed for the aligning of flanges on tray-like articles made oi cardboard, such as cardboard boxes and the lids that slip over such boxes, such lids at present requiring manual operation. As such trays now come from the machines in which they are made, the flanges are struck up and most machines simultaneously paste on the outside of the box, and also enclosing the flanges, a sheet of paper, usually ornamental. When so made, the side and end flanges bulge in the center and bulge most at their edges, so that when a flanged cover is placed over a box there is, around the outside edge of the box, an open space widest in the center of each flange, the corners usually fitting tightly, but no other part of the flanges doing so.

At present these flanged articles are taken by operators, usually girls, and each flange, at its juncture with the main or flat part of the article, is drawn between the fingers o f one hand, similar to the operation performed in creasing a sheet of paper, this operation requiring the handling of each. flange separately, so that a four-sided or rectangular lid or box must have its four flanges pressed in near the base and after this is done the flanges are substantially straight, but this method is slow and expensive.

VVe have therefore devised this machine for quickly and economically pressing the flanges of the article so that they are straight, both from end to end and from top to bottom.

The invention is illustrated in the accom panying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of a machine made according to our invention. Figure 2 is a top View of the machine shown in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a bottom view of a flanged lid acted on in the machine. Figure '4; is a section on line 4let in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a detail section of the edge of" the flanged article before it is operated on by the machine. Figure 6 is a detail section showing how the flange is bent in the machine, and Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, illustrating the flange in its aligned position after it has been subjected to bending in the machine.

The machine comprises means for supporting the tray-like article, such: means in the drawing consisting of a table 10, which is preferably made with a flat top surface and is supported on suitable legs 11. The table 10 is designed to support the flanged article in the center so that the article can be acted on by having all the bending elements move simultaneously, which is prelerred because it saves time over a successive treatment of each flange. To enable a clear illustration and ,de scription of the invention we showand describe the machine as being used on a cover having the top portion 12 and the flanges 13, and, as will be seen from Figures 5 and 7, these articles, when made, are usually covered with a thin sheet 14-, usually of colored paper or ornamental paper of some kind to hold the corners of the box together and also give it a better appearance.

hen the lids are turned out from the machine in which they are made, the flanges apparent that when such lid is placed on a box for which it is intended, the fit is not tight all around, this inclination varying, and it is shown in l igure 5 to be considerably from the perpendicular, and in order to bend these we arrange dies 15, one near each side of a flange and actuated by a mechanism to be described hereinafter so that each die is forced against a flange with a limitation of movement so as to bend each flange inward, particularly what might be called the central portion of each flange, so that the corners 16 of the tray-like article are not bent excessively,since they are usually aligned and need no inward bending, and furthermore, for the reason that excessive bending at the corners would crack them.

We find further that the flanges should be bent more acutely nearest their juncture with the top of the cover at what might be called thebase of the flange. In order to provide for such bending we prefer to make each die with the upper portion of its inner face slightly inclined, as at 17, and the 7 lower portion 18 formed at a much more acute angle to the top of the table.

This will be evident from Figure 6, and it will be readily understood that as the die is moved inward it bends the free end of the flange, which is the top of the flange when the cover is laid upside down on the table, inward to the required extent, but the base of the flange is bent much more acutely. Such pressure is of very short duration, and

i when the die retreats, the flange, due to the resiliency of the cardboard, assumes a position perpendicular to the'top l2 and is straight for its entire length, and also for its entire height, as shown in Figure 7.

a The dies 15 are preferably made of wood, although other material can be employed, but we find excellent results from a closegrain wood, such as maple, and these dies are removable, being fastened by suitable means, such as screws 19, to blocks 20, these blocks QO being-secured to slides 21, which slides 21 move in the guideways or grooves 22 in the top of the table. Any suitable means for moving these blocks can be employed, but we provide a reciprocating head 23 which travels vertically on a stem 24: fastened to the center of the table on the under side, and is connected by short connecting rods 25 to bell cranks 26 pivoted in bearings 27, these bearings being secured to thetable.

At the upper end of each bell crank 26 is a link 28 connected to projections, such as the bosses 29 on the bottom of the slide 21.

It will thus be evident that when the head 23 is PQClPI'OCzL-tQCl vertically, as by means of the connecting rod 30 and the crank 31,

which is rotated by the driving shaft 32, all

theblocks, and consequently the .dies, are moved along the table toward or from each other, the outward movement of them being sufficient to permit the laying, of an upturned cover in the space between them, and i when they slide together the flanges are simultaneously bent inward, as will be clearly seen from Figure 2, this pressure being but momentary, the operation of the ma chine being preferably continuous, and when the dies areseparated the cover is lifted out and another cover is put into place, by which time the dies are again'moving inwardly and-in this way a constant operation of the machine on successive covers is carried out. We find that it is not necessary to provide an adjustment of the movement of the dies, since the same movement is usuallysufiicient in all cases, but in order to adapt the machine for different size covers, the blocks 20 are made adjustable on the slides 21, one form of doing this being to provide the blocks with slots 35, and setscrews 34 passing through these slots and into screwthreaded perforations 35 in the slides permit a placing of these blocks and the proper adjustment of these blocks relative to the article to be operated on, so that a machine can be adjused to receive flanged articles, either square or rectangular, of various dimensions. V I i It will be evident that minor changes can be made in the machine, and the relative positions of the parts can be varied without departing from the invention, and it will be also apparent that the machine can be constructed for handling articles other than those of rectangular shape;

We claim:

1. A machine of the kind described comprising a table portion for supporting a flanged tray-like article, dies adapted to move substantially perpendicular to the ed es of the article and constructed so as to bend said flanges inward between the cor tween their corners, the engaging face of each'die being inclined slightly from the vertical at its upper portion, and at its lower portlon atan angle acute to the surface of the table.

In testimon that we claim the fore 'oin we have hereto set our hands, this 16th day of February, 1920.

GEO. W. CASE. JOHN WM. ROBERTS. 

